Ammunition hoisting and loading apparatus for ordnance.



A. T. DAWSON & J. 110mm. N AMMUNITION HOISTING AND LOADING APPARATUS FOR ONDNA NGE.

' APPLICATIONIILED DEO.4,1909. 99 ,5 7, v Patented June 2'7, 1911.

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A. T. DAWSON & J, HORNE. AMMUNITION HOISTING AND LOADING APPARATUS FORORDNANGEJ 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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Original application filed November 17, 1908, Serial No. 463,118.

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ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, AND JAMES HORNE, OF

BARROW-IN-FURNESS, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

TO VICKERS SONS & MAXIM LIMITED,

AMMUNITION I-IOISTING AND LOADING APPARATUS FOR ORDNANCE.

oer 4, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON and JAMns HORNE, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing, respectively, at 32 Victoria street, Westminster, in the county of London, England, and Naval Construction WVorks, Barrow-in-Furness, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new. and useful Improvements in Ammunition Hoisting and Loading Apparatus for Ordnance, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ammunition hoisting and loading apparatus for ordnance and is especially adapted for use with turret guns mounted singly or otherwise on board ship or elsewhere.

Heretofore in the usual form of hoisting apparatus, the projectile and powder charges have been brought up from their magazine or storage places, on a hoisting cage whence they have been transferred to a loading cage in the working chamber and by the said loading cage have been elevated to a point behind the breech of the gun ready to be rammed into the said breech. The loading cage has also in some cases been so arranged that when it has been elevated into alinement with the breech of the gun, it will be capable of following the movements of the gun in its changes in elevation, so as to always occupy the correct loading position.

According to our invention we provide a hoisting cage, which, although loaded and raised in the well-known manner, is adapted to be brought to such a position contiguous to the gun as to permit of the ready trans; ference of the projectile and powder charges to a receiving or loading cage attached to one side of the gun slide or other part of the mounting that moves with the gun. The said receiving cage is so constructed and arranged that after receiving the powder charges and the projectile it can be caused to swing or otherwise assume a position behind the breech of the gun to permit of the ready transfer or loading of the ammunition from the receiving cage into the gun, in whatever position of elevation or depression the latter may assume and whether Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 27, 1911. Divided and this application filed Decem- Selial No. 531,357.

it is in motion or at rest, as set forth in the specification of our co-pending application for United States Patent, Serial Number 463,118.

In order to keep the receiving cage always in alinement with the gun, the said cage 15 guided on curved rails and supported by a rope or other flexible connection the said rope or the like connecting the cage with the slide frame of the gun.

In order that our said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect we will describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation. Fig. 2 a sectional plan, and Fig. 3 a sectional rear elevation showing our improvements applied to a two-gun turret, and Figs. 4 and 5 are diagrammatic sectional elevations showing the manner in which the receiving cages may be arranged to participate in the movements of the guns in changing the angle of elevation.

A is the hoisting cage and B is the receiving cage. The hoisting cage is loaded in the magazines at the lower end of the rotary trunk A in the usual manner, the projectile and powder charges lying horizontal or thereabout. The said hoisting cage is guided in its movements up and down the rotary trunk by fails A extending from the magazines to a suitable position at one side of the breech end of the gun. In the example shown the said hoisting cage is raised by a hydraulic press A and a hoisting rope A (Fig. 1) which is carried over suitable guide pulleys or sheaves A A A A and attached to the hoisting cage. The arrangement of the guide pulleys is adapted to provide for the usual compensating action, so as to maintain the hoisting cage, when it is raised, in its correct relative position to the receiving cage B, whether the gun is in motion (changing its angle of elevation) or at rest. In Fig. l the sheave A is carried by the gun slide C so that when the angle of elevation is changed the length of rope connected with the cage will be correspondingly altered to permit of the cage following the movement of the gun of the receiving cage. The upper parts of the guide rails A are curved to form arcs concentric with the gun trunnions, in order that the cage A will remain in the required relative position to the, receiving cage.

In an arrangement illustrated by Fig. i the receiving cage 13 is guided on the curved rails B and supported by a rope B or other flexible connection connected at one end to the cage and at the other end to a fixed point, and passing over suitable guide pulleys B B B, B of which the pulley B is attached to the gun slide C at a radial distance from the gun trunnions which is half the radial distance from the gun trunnions to the center of the cage. According to the modified arrangement shown by Fig. 5, we attach one end of the rope B to the cage and the other end to an arm C extending rearward from the gun slide, the point of attachment of the rope to the aforesaid arm being at the same radial distance from the gun trunnions as that of the point of attachment of the rope to the cage.

The transference of the ammunition from the hoisting cage A is in the example shown intended to be effected by a rammer D attached to the gun slide or mounting so that it changes its position to accord with the changes in position of the gun in varying its angle of elevation, and therefore always lies in line with the ammunition trays of the receiving cage B and the hoisting cag'e A when the latter is in its raised position. This rammer is preferably actuated hydraulically, but it may be adapted to be actuated by any other appropriate motive power or by hand.

The receiving cage B is so constructed that the ammunition can be moved laterally into a position of alinement with the gun breech for loading into the gun. For this purpose the said receiving cage is in the example shown made in two parts, one part B being in the form of a frame which is attached to the aforesaid rope B and guided by suitable rollers on the aforesaid rails B and the other part 8 is pivotally connected at 12* to the frame. The said pivotal part, after it has been loaded with the ammunition from the hoisting cage A, can be swung inward into an oblique position behind the breech of the gun with its lower end in alinement with the center of the same. The projectile which lies at the bottom of the pivotal part of the receiving cage thus lies in alinement with the bore of the gun and can be pushed into the breech by a rammer E of the usual or other appropriate type. After the projectile has been introduced into the gun the rammer is retracted and the powder charges are permit-ted to descend into the lower end of the pivotal part of the receiving cage and are in turn introduced into the gun by the rammer, suitable gear or mechanism being provided on the said cage for permitting the powder charges todescend one at a time into the loading position such for example as that set forth in the specification of our British Patent No. 3498 of 1907. The aforesaid rammer may be carried directly on abraclcet or arm forming a rear extension of the gun slide, in which case it will always lie in alinement with the bore of the gun irrespective of the changes in elevation of the gun. Or it may be of the type in which the rammer is movably supported on a structure or frame E carried on the gun plat form at the rear of the gun as shown in Fig. l and having suitable flexible connections such as a chain, wire rope or the like from the gun slide or cradle, so arranged as to maintain the rammer head in line with the bore of the gun within the loading limits or zone when the gun changes its angle of elevat on. I

To operate the pivotal part of the receiving cage B so as to bring the lower end into alinement with the breech of the gun, we

have shown a hydraulic ram 6, arranged to operate a lever 11 connected by means of a link 6 to an arm 6 at the upper end of the cage, so that when motive fluid is permitted to act on the ram it causes the pivotal part of the cage to swing inward into the oblique position before stated, with the lower end in alinement with the gun breech. Other forms of motive power and devices can however be used for effecting the swinging movement of the pivotal part of the cage.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In ammunition hoisting and loading apparatus for ordnance, the combination of a hoisting cage for raising the ammunition to a position contiguous to the gun, means for causing the said cage, when raised, to follow the movements of the gun in its changes in elevation or depression, a receiving or loading cage, a slide frame for the gun, a rope connecting the said frame with the receiving or loading cage and means for bringing the said cage into the loading position behind the gun breech.

2. In ammunition hoisting and loading apparatus for ordnance, the combination of a hoisting cage for raising the ammunition to a position contiguous to the gun, means for causing the said cage, when raised, to follow the movements of the gun in its changes in elevation or depression, a receiving or loading cage, a slide frame for the gun, a rope attached to the receiving or loading cage and to a fixed point, a pulley over which the said rope passes mounted on said slide frame, and means for bringing the said cage to the loading position behind the gun breech.

3. In ammunition hoisting and loading apparatus for ordnance, the combination of a hoisting cage for raising the ammunition to a position contiguous to the gun, means for causing the said cage, When raised, to follow the movements of the gun in its changes in elevation or depression, a fixed part of the receiving or loading cage, a second part pivotally connected with said fixed part, a slide frame for the gun, a rope attached to the fixed part of the receiving or loading cage and to a fixed point, a pulley over Which the said rope passes mounted on said slide frame, and means for bringing the pivotal part of the said cage to the load- 15 ing position behind the gun breech.

In testimony whereof We afiix our signatures ln presence of Witnesses.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAl/VSON. JAMES HORNE.

WVitnesses to signature of James Horne:

M. G. ATKINSON, H. T. MCDOWELL.

Copiesof this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

